New On Resy: Sixpenny, Chula, Don’t Tell Aunty

Sixpenny’s nondescript location on a suburban street in Stanmore belies the quietly ambitious food that Daniel Puskas and his team serve inside. Stepping into the quietly stylish room, the restaurant is understated luxury at its best: each stage of the six or eight-course tasting menus are served by the chef who prepares it, with masterful dishes allowing the quality of produce to speak for themselves. Many of the ingredients come from the restaurant’s own farm, and an impressive wine list is made accessible via Coravin.

Trust the El Barrio crew to breathe new life into Kings Cross. Chula is a bright, airy Mexican restaurant serving a vegetable and seafood-centric menu of fresh dishes like aguachile, tostadas, Oaxacan tlayudas, and fresh fish blistered over a fiercely hot Josper Grill. Mezcal and tequila cocktails are blended with in-season fruit (overseen by Reece Griffiths of Agave Cartel, natch), and don’t miss the churro ice cream sandwich, best enjoyed while supine in one of the restaurant’s plush sunken lounges.

Jessi Singh made a name cooking creative Indian food at Melbourne’s Horn Please and Babu Ji in NYC, and has returned to Sydney to open Don’t Tell Aunty, a contemporary Indian spot in Surry Hills. Uni-topped biryani, naan pizza, and crisp General Tso’s cauliflower are a few standout dishes on a menu that riffs on ideas of authenticity. An open-plan room, a soundtrack of Bollywood disco and a self-serve beer fridge help seal the deal.

At the border of Darlinghurst and Paddington, follow the staircase of white marble upstairs to one of the city’s most entertaining dining rooms. On the site of a former nightclub, the Full Circle team have converted the room into a restaurant to enjoy elevated, rustic Italian food with friends; think crisp fried bread with anchovy, plates of pasta, wine, and spritz. Drink a little too much, talk a little too loudly, and always order the tiramisu.

Having started out as a little brunch spot in Bronte, the Three Blue Ducks guys have realised a farm-to-table dream that’s now culminated with a farmhouse and restaurant spanning over 80 hectares in Byron Bay. With views across the distant mountains and hinterland, a bucolic setting provides context for the food — their organic farm informs what’s served each day, with light, all-day dishes subtly hinting at fine dining pedigree. Along with music and BBQs at the weekend, the informal vibe makes it very difficult to leave — which is kind of the idea.